GHS Students attend Community Memorial Hospital's Healthcare Career Academy

Germantown High School students, Allison Claussen, Michelle Dunk, Ben

Hubrich, Michael Knippen, Paige Rudolph, Whitney Schaffner, Erika Swoboda and Megan Taugher participated in the four-week Healthcare Career Academy sponsored by Community Memorial Hospital. The Academy which ran from July 26 through August 20, allowed students to shadow and learn from healthcare professionals from fourteen departments. These eight qualifying juniors and seniors attended two full days of hospital and career orientation on June 17 and 18; and, then, they were divided into pairs and assigned a mentor. Throughout the program, the pairs rotated through the various departments, observing professional day-to-day activities including how an interdisciplinary team takes care of a patient. Additionally, each week the students were responsible for researching a different health topic such as: diabetes, cancer, and heart and vascular health; the pairs then gave peer presentations on their topics

each Friday.

Last Friday, the students were honored in a “graduation” ceremony, where each participant presented a reflection of their experiences in the form of a poster. Program coordinator and high school teacher, Diane Seramur, concluded, “The program offers a wonderful opportunity for those students who have an interest in the health-related professions; and (it) provides invaluable experience in working with experienced professionals in the medical field.”